DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
DURHAM, N. C. 


| Are Methodists 
Willing 

7 to 

pe face the Facts? 


ea 


pws 4 


By Rev. C. T. Thrift 


of our church? Their significance is two-fold to us. 
In the first place, we say concerning them: “All of 
which we are taught by God to observe, even in 
his written word, which is the only rule, and the 
sufficient rule both of our faith and practice. And 
all these we know his Spirit writes on truly awak- 
ened hearts.” In the second place, they are spe- 
cific obligations which we have assumed. 

The first rule is: “Doing no harm, by avoiding 
evil of every kind, especially that which is most 
generally practiced,” such as: ; 


1. “The taking of the name of God in vain.” Is 
it not a sad fact that there is a great deal of pro- 
fanity today among men and even women of the 
church? If statements from those who are in a po- 
sition to know can be relied on, it is not an uncom- 
mon practice even among stewards in the church. 
A preacher hears less of it than other men, so his 
information is secondhand. 


2. “The profaning the day of the Lord, either by 
doing ordinary work therein or by buying or sell- 
ing.” There are church members who run their 
places of business on Sunday, selling gasoline, soft 
drinks, and other things. Look at the church mem- 
bers who patronize those places on Sunday. Go to 
the golf links and the bathing resorts and see 
whether there are any church members there or 
not. Is it possible that those men and women and . 


girls who are almost naked are members of the 
church? Many of them are. 


3. “Drunkenness, or drinking spirituous liquors, 
unless in cases of necessity.” The Methodist church 
has always stood for temperance. Now the nation 
is dry. Today, therefore, intemperance is not only 
a sign of a poor church member but also of a bad 
citizen. Are there not members of the church who 
are conniving at the smuggling, manufacture, and 
selling of spirituous liquors and drinking the stuff? 
How many stewards are fond of their “little toddy?” 


4, “Fighting, quarreling, brawling; brother going 
to law with brother, returning evil for evil, railing 
for railing; the using many words in buying or sell- - 
ing.’ How many church members are in lawsuits 
against their brethren? Let us hope not very 
many. But there is’ quarreling and bitter enmity in 
many places. 


5. “The buying or selling goods that have not 
paid the duty.” What about tax dodging, especially 
on the part of those who are rich? Ask the tax as- 
sessor. 

6. “The giving or taking things on usury—i. e., 
unlawful interest.” This would apply-not only to 
those who lend money at exorbitant rates of inter- 
est but to the one who profiteers in rents and other 
things. 

7. “Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation.” 


Measure the gossip, the smutty jokes and the silly 
twaddle by that standard. 


8. “Doing to others as we would not they should 
do unto us.” 

9. “Doing what we know is not for the glory of 
God,” as: ’ 

(1) “The putting on of gold and costly apparel.” 
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about the 
matter: “In like manner also, that women adorn 
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness 
and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or 
pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh wo- 
men: professing godliness) with good works.” (1 
Tim. ii. 9-10.) It receives attention also at the 
hands of the Apostle Peter: “Whose adorning let it © 
not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, 
and of wearing of gold, or of putting on apparel; 
but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that 
which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a 
meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God 
of great price.” (1 Pet. iii. 3-4.) Now measure the 
way the women of the church have been dressing 
by that standard. Look at them at the bathing 
beaches, on the ballroom floor, on the street, and 
even at church. Their immodest dressing has made 
them the cynosure of all eyes. Only the blind did 
not see it. The costly dresses worn by some have 
kept many poor people away from God’s house. 


Who could hazard a guess at the market value of 
the diamonds worn by our Southern Methodist wo- 
men? Only the other day I heard a Methodist 
preacher’s wife spoken of as “a walking jewelry 
store.” There are Methodist women today who 
paint more than did the street women of a genera- 
tion ago. 

(2) “The taking such diversions as cannot be 
used in the name of the Lord Jesus.’ Dancing has 
always had a bad odor in Methodist circles. This 
has been affirmed over and over again. The word 
“revelings” in Galatians v. 21 puts dancing as much 
under the ban as murder and drunkenness. But 
look in yonder ballroom where the most indecent 
and vulgar dances are to be seen. Among the 
chaperones and patrons are some of the “leading 
members” of some of our “leading churches.’ It 
will not be surprising if we find a steward and his 
wife or perhaps the president of the missionary so- 
ciety among them. Among the dancers we will find 
not only members of the church, but even the sons 
and daughters of stewards and perhaps of the 
preacher too, and many of the members of the choir 
and not a few of the teachers of the Sunday school. 
Think of the drinking that is connected with the 
dance! Many a girl has been carried home drunk 
from such places. Think of the immorality and 
the shame that has followed in the wake of these 
dances! 


Card playing has never been looked upon with 
favor by Methodists. “Have no fellowship with the 
unfruitful works of darkness.” (Eph. v. 11.) But 
go in any town today and just look at the number 
of Methodist women who are organizing bridge 
clubs and who play by the hour for prizes. Any- 
where else it is called common gambling. 


What about the indecent pictures that are being 
put on the screen, the product in the main of the 
most corrupt gang that can be found anywhere? 
Look at the vast number of church members— 
men, women and children—who devour this filth 
and offscouring of the world. 


(3) “The singing those songs or reading those 
books which do not tend to the knowledge or love 
of God.” It was at a church meeting some time ago. 
The opening song was not one of the old hymns 
that our fathers loved to sing, but instead “We are 
here.” Of the making of books there is no end. 
But the quantity does not guarantee the quality. 
What are our people reading? In a meeting of a 
book club, composed largely, if not entirely, of 
church members, reviews were given of books 
which had been read. They were the “latest.” The 
general verdict was: “This book is not fit to read.” 
But I wonder if that will make the other members 
look elsewhere for something to read. 


(4) “Softness or needless self-indulgence.” Now, 


our church has never legislated on the tobacco 
question except a few years ago when it forbade the 
use of it to the preachers joining the conference 
after that time, But it seems to me that this clause 
on “needless self-indulgence” covers the tobacco 
question pretty well. The use of tobacco is a dirty 
habit; it is an enslaving habit; it is an injurious 
habit, for the textbooks that the children are study- 
ing set that forth very clearly; it is a costly habit. 
Now, the logic of the situation seems to me to be 
this: If it is wrong for a young preacher to use to- 
bacco, it is wrong for an older one to use it. He is 
setting a bad example for his younger brother. If 
it is wrong for the pastor to use it, then it is wrong 
for the presiding elder to use it. I knew a layman 
who asked to be excused from entertaining the pre- 
siding elder because the elder used tobacco, and 
the layman did not want to have such an example 
before his boys. If it is wrong for the young 
preachers to use tobacco, it seems to me that it is 
wrong and a poor example for a bishop to use it. It 
seems to me that for the sake of consistency and 
the value of example every preacher should have 
given up the use of tobacco when the general con- 
ference passed that law. If it has no hold upon 
him, it would be easy; if he has been enslaved by 
it, he certainly ought to be set free from the habit. 
I think some of the western conferences have made 


a rule that no user of tobacco can serve on any 
board or committee of the conference. At some of 
the conferences the Sunday school room has looked 
filthy before Saturday night because of tobacco. At 
others I have seen the ground around the church 
nearly covered with cigar stumps and tobacco 
quids. But if it is wrong for the preacher to use 
tobacco, then it is wrong for the layman to use it. 
If it is wrong to use it, then it follows that it is 
wrong to raise it. I am no fanatic on the tobacco 
question. But stern logic drives to that conclusion 
after the general conference made that law. Yet 
the use of tobacco is on the increase, and even 
girls are becoming cigarette fiends. But will the 
use of tobacco stand the test of “needless self- 
indulgence?” 

(5) “Laying up treasures upon earth.’ According 
to the teaching of the Master, there are some “rich 
fools” today. Sometimes they have not been very 
careful about how they made money, but they are 
exceedingly careful about holding on to it. 

(6) “Borrowing without a probability of paying 
or taking up goods without the probability of pay- 
ing for them.” Ask the merchants how church 
members stand on the matter of paying their obli-. 
gations for provisions and clothes. 


Does this measured by the General Rules indi- 
cate “prosperity?” But we are not yet done. Look 


at the divorced people; look at the “dope fiends”; 
look at those who are gambling in “futures”; look 
at the gambling on baseball and football even at 
our church institutions; look at the homes without 
any children or with only one child (the occupants 
practice what the landlord preaches, “No children 
wanted”). Ask any doctor about suicide and in- 
fanticide. These things confront us on every side. 

We have not time to measure with the second 
rule. But here it is: “Doing good, by being in every 
kind merciful after their power, as they have op- 
portunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, 
as far as possible, to all men.” What about our 
sins of omission? 

Here is the third rule: “Attending upon all the 
ordinances of God.’ Such are: 

1. “The public worship of God; the ministry of 
the word, either read or expounded.” Look at the 
small congregations which worship on Sunday or 
Wednesday night. The leaders of the church tell 
us that forty per cent of the members never darken 
the door of the church. 


2. “The Supper of the Lord.” Of: those who at- 
tend church, many seldom or never commune. 

3. “Family and private prayer.” Very few fami- 
lies have family prayer. Many stewards will not 
lead in prayer. 

4. “Searching the Scriptures.’ There is a woe- 


ful ignorance of the Bible even among those who 
have been in the church a long time. 


5. “Fasting or abstinence.” Do we ever hear any- 
thing about ‘‘fasting” in this “fast” age? 

If our sins of omission were less, our sins of com- 
mission would also be less. But the results of this 
measuring will prepare the way for another state- 
ment. A large per cent of our membership say 
they have not been converted or know nothing | 
about conversion. As for baptism of the Holy 
Spirit, they “have not so much as heard whether 
there be any Holy Spirit.” One of the leading pas- 
tors in one of our leading conferences is quoted as 
saying that the enforcement of the General Rules 
would not leave a single member in his church. A 
preacher of large experience told me that in his 
judgment three-fourths of our membership would 
fall before a moderate application of the General 
Rules. 


Now if these things are so, and I am convinced 
that I speak forth the words of truth and soberness, 
what do we mean when we say that “our charge is 
in good condition” or that “the church is in a pros-. 
perous condition?’ We cannot measure prosperity 
by handsome churches built and large salaries paid 
and money raised for missionary, educational and 
charitable enterprises. Are our people right here 
at home being saved from their sins and adorning 


the gospel by holy living? That is the true test. 


Now let no man think that I am belittling the 
Methodist church. I believe that it will not suffer 
by comparison with any other branch of the church 
with which I am acquainted. Preachers of other de- 
nominations confess privately that the moral and 
spiritual condition with them is just as deplorable 
as I have described. 


But what can we do about it? I do not believe 
that we will ever get out of the wilderness until 
we confess that we are in the wilderness. What 
we need is a leader with clear vision and sublime 
courage, who has a big heart and a strong mind, 
who hates sin in all its forms and does not fear 
even the devil himself. Any man who can awaken 
Methodism in this hour will deserve to rank with 
Wesley himself. 


As a guide to holy living according to Methodist 
standards, I do not believe that anything better 
will be found than the General Rules. They are 
not out of date. If we could get the Methodist 
church to measure up to the standard, that in itself 
would be a great revival. I believe that it would 
be followed by the greatest ingathering of souls 
that the church has ever witnessed. If the stand- 
ards of Methodism are good for the outer life, the 
standard doctrines of Methodism are good for the 
inner life. Suppose we could have a campaign of 


preaching on the universality of sin and the de- 
pravity of the human heart, the universality of the 
atonement and the marvelous love of God, repent- 
ance, justification by faith only, conversion or re- 
generation as a matter of experience and a force 
for life, the witness of the Spirit, the baptism of 
the Holy Ghost, holiness, or sanctification; suppose 
we had this in every church in Methodism; suppose 
every bishop, every presiding elder, and every pas- 
tor should preach these things for six months or a 
year; suppose that every church paper should ring 
the changes on these things likewise. I believe 
tiat we should see a mighty change in the standard 
of living among our people. What a glorious op- 
portunity for our bishops to do some mighty preach- 
ing in the annual conferences and to challenge the 
pastors to follow their leadership to the awakening 
of Methodism throughout its borders! The condi- 
tion is grave; the opportunity for great achieve- 
ments is sublime. The call is for mighty leader- 
ship in spiritual things. God grant that a leader 
may not fail us in these times. But one of the 
most essential things is for every preacher and 
every layman to face the facts as to our real con- 
dition. 


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